Definitely be an advocate for yourself. Don't hesitate to ask certain questions. You can always push back and ask questions in a way that's not combative and it's just in your delivery. Your delivery has to be with care and love, but firm. Especially when you're talking to your care team. So when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, My experience being a Black woman and having doctors listen to me was interesting. Doctors at first wouldn't listen to any of my concerns. Like I had called in to say that I felt that I was dehydrated and I wanted to come in and get fluids and that was dismissed. Or just some of the type of questions that I was asking about my care ... like, so if I decide to not take this medication, what would be the side effects or what would be my risk of reoccurrence? Once I had told them that I came with the background of healthcare and I knew exactly what I was talking about, then they switched and their whole demeanor and how they treated me was different. But that shouldn't have to be the reason why things change. All patients, no matter what their race is, no matter what their background is, should be able to receive the same care all across the board. I did push the envelope and ask certain questions and ask them to answer certain things for me. And if they couldn't get those answers to me, I demanded that they find them. Once I did that, then they treated me differently. As a Person of Color looking for healthcare providers, you know, we always want to get a healthcare provider, actually, who looks like us, right? If you live in an area or you're close to an area where that's not necessarily an option for you, some of the things that I would suggest is what is their bedside manner? Do they listen to all of your concerns? Do they ask you, do you have any more questions? And do they take the time to not only answer your questions, but to listen to any of your concerns that you have? For example, I went to the doctor today. It was a new doctor that I've seen. And the one thing that I loved about her is she kept asking me, okay, did you ask all of your questions that you came here to ask? And I said, oh, I was just getting ready to ask you something, but it just left. For those who are diagnosed with breast cancer, chemo brain – still have it. And she actually sat there with me until the question came back. And I said, oh, I remember what I was going to ask you and asked her that question and she answered it. If you feel like your provider is not listening to you, find another care provider to give you your care. At the end of the day, we are paying for our care. And you do want the best care.

Living with Early Breast Cancer: 3 Tips for People of Color1. Find doctors you trust Everyone deserves high quality healthcare to treat their breast cancer. If you don’t feel heard or respected by your doctor, don’t settle.  Consider finding another doctor who makes you feel comfortable and helps you manage your treatment the way you feel is best. You may find physicians fluent in your preferred language using the search filters on Healthgrades.com. Your insurance company may be able to help you find doctors who have training in cultural competency. Websites like Blackdoctor.org, Healthinherhue.com, and Huedco.com can connect you with an oncologist you might feel more comfortable with. 2. Connect with a breast cancer nurse navigator Nurse navigators or nurse liaisons are often part of a care team. They can support you in a variety of ways. Nurse navigators can: • be a main point of contact throughout your treatment • coordinate care across the healthcare continuum • educate you about breast cancer and treatments • provide assistance to overcome barriers to care • schedule follow-up visits and treatments If you’ve received a diagnosis of breast cancer, ask your care team about putting you in contact with a nurse navigator. 3. Find support Breast cancer support groups can be a wonderful resource, connecting you with others who know exactly what you’re going through. Your doctor can share details about support groups in your area, or you can find them online.  Leaning on friends and family for support is important, too. Invite a loved one to accompany you to doctor’s appointments. They can take notes, ask questions, and offer moral support. You can also turn to organizations specifically established to support People of Color with breast cancer, including: • The Sisters Network • The African American Breast Cancer Alliance • For the Breast of Us • The Latino Cancer Institute • Hispanic Access Foundation • The National Asian Breast Cancer Initiative • American Indian Cancer Foundation Turn to Healthgrades. Connect with the right oncologist to treat breast cancer on Healthgrades.com. And share this video to help spread the word!

The provider that gave me my actual diagnosis was a doctor that I used to work for. She actually called me that Monday evening once she got my biopsy results and said to me, “You know, I hate to give you this news, but it is in fact breast cancer.” She said, “I hate that we have to write this chapter in your story, but if we're going to write it, let's make it a damn good one.” And I feel like from that point, that is what I have been able to do. I found my lump myself. I was just getting out of the shower, putting lotion on, and as I felt my left breast, I felt a pretty large lump on my left side. Two weeks prior, I had my physical with my doctor and while she was doing my breast exam, she actually felt something herself but she said, “Oh, you know, you've been working out a lot. You've probably strained something. You're young. There's nothing to worry about.” But two weeks later, the lump had doubled in size. The next day they got me in for a mammogram and ultrasound, and by that Friday I was having a biopsy. It was pretty scary going through that whole process, being at 35, I've never had a mammogram before, so this was something new for myself. When I was diagnosed, I didn't want a lot of people to know because I had the stigma and the shame of that, you know, being diagnosed with breast cancer is, you know, you're sick. And so I'm not strong. I've definitely gotten rid of that now. But I get, especially with Communities of Color, how we can think that that's actually what that is. But let me tell you right now, that is not the case. One of the things that I would like people to know who are living with breast cancer is that your diagnosis is not a death sentence. You can thrive and you can survive within this world. While I understand that a breast cancer diagnosis is hard and, you know, there's a lot that you have to navigate through, there are so many support systems out here. There is great care. There are people that could teach you how to advocate for yourself and give you the tools, so then that way, you know how to ask certain questions and you know how to direct your care. Just know that it is just a chapter in this book of life, and write it how you want to write it.

M. Michele Blackwood, MD:Hope is really important. First of all, you have to know that God forbid you get a diagnosis of cancer, particularly breast cancer, many, many, many breast cancers are not just treatable but can be curable. Alex Hayes:Can you explain to me the difference between early breast cancer, advanced breast cancer, and other types? M. Michele Blackwood, MD:Early breast cancer means that the tumor is small, it hasn't spread to lymph nodes, it hasn't spread to other parts of the body. Late diagnosis of breast cancer is that the breast cancer is large, more than five centimeters, so more than the width of your hand, and it's spread to lymph nodes, it could spread to the chest wall, it could spread to the nipple, it could spread to the skin. Late breast cancer takes a lot more work to get rid of it. Alex Hayes:Diagnosing breast cancer early, is that in and of itself something positive that a person should feel optimistic about? Dr. Nina Watson:Yes, most definitely. The key is what we call early detection. Early detection means finding a breast cancer when it's as small as possible and when it's the most treatable, which is actually the goal of screening mammograms. Because oftentimes if we're finding it when there's some type of symptom, those cancers are larger. Mammogram allows us to see the tissue to find those cancers when they are small and make the diagnosis then. Alex Hayes:So for early breast cancer what are some treatment options and how have they evolved over the course of your career? M. Michele Blackwood, MD:So it used to be the mastectomy was the gold standard of breast cancer treatment. Thankfully, that's not the case anymore. There's so many options available to a patient such as maybe no treatment depending on how old she is. Maybe it's just a pill. Maybe it's a lumpectomy. Sometimes we add radiation to it, sometimes we add chemotherapy. Sometimes we do very extensive surgeries, but there's a lot of different types of treatments based on the type of breast cancer that a woman or a man has. Alex Hayes:What would you tell somebody who's just received this diagnosis and they feel very alone? Dr. Nina Watson:First I would say to take things one day at a time. It can be very overwhelming, and it's okay to allow yourself to have those feelings. The second bit of advice I would give is to reach out to a support system, you don't have to be on this journey alone. Alex Hayes:In addition to the range of treatment options available, what else is giving you hope about the future of treating early breast cancer? M. Michele Blackwood, MD:I would say every six months there's a major breakthrough in breast cancer. We have more and more treatments available that are changing lives, that are extending lives, that are getting rid of cancer. I love the idea that you can take a patient who's facing stage two, three, or even four breast cancer and turn around their lives and maybe get them to forget about cancer. Sometimes when they come to see me afterwards years later and there's a small scar in their breast and they say, well which breast was it again? And I said you mean that big thing that we had to deal with five, 10 years ago you can't remember which breast it was? I love that.

Kavita:I did not say the word cancer until several months into my treatment. I could barely write it in a text message. It took me a while to work up to say that word, the C word, the ugly C word. And now I'm in a place I can say it. Cancer, cancer, cancer, cancer. I can say you and shout you from the mountain tops because you will not get me. Anna:I was 27 years old and a one-year newlywed when I found a lump myself, while I was taking a shower. I didn't have any family history of cancer, and within a week I was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer. And my whole world fell apart. Kavita:I was in denial immediately because I refused to believe that these were my results because my body would not have done this to me. So I refused to believe that any of it was true or that it was actually happening to me. You don't just hear cancer and get to sit down. It's time to get up and get moving. It was a port, MRI, chemo, breast surgeon, plastic surgeon, all these different medications, fertility, and that was the darkest and the hardest part, the diagnosis, and just getting started. Monique:When I found the lump, I did a biopsy. It actually came back benign, but my left breast became very heavy and it also started to hurt. The doctor said, "Let's have one more biopsy and then we'll take it from there." And it came back benign again. So I said, "Okay, but it needs to be removed because it hurts and it's growing." She removed it and she called me a week later and was like, "Okay, the papilloma we removed was benign, but there was a smaller mass behind it and that was developing cancer." Kavita:As a patient, you are going to be your greatest advocate. Many people are just so confused and bogged down by the diagnosis, they don't realize that you have the power to pick your provider team at any point. It's your body. It's your choice. It's your life. It's your cancer. It's your treatment. Anna:I'm almost six years out from cancer. So while cancer is not an everyday part of my life now, emotionally it still plays a role in the way that I cope, in the way that I have learned to navigate the world. When treatment's over, your support system wants to celebrate you being done with cancer. So they say things like, "Oh, the cancer's gone, you're done. Let's get back to normal." But the reality is for the person that's been through it, there is no normal. I am never going to be Anna that I was pre-cancer. It doesn't mean I can't be happy. Doesn't mean I'm not going to find joy again, but I'm a changed person. Kavita:So I've been in remission for a few months now, and I'm very excited about that. And I am learning right now what it means to be what we call a breast cancer survivor. Monique:I am currently in chemotherapy. I'm the only one that's currently going through it. So at the end of the day, I really look like this. So, in the beginning it was really hard to accept the losing the hair, but now I just embrace it.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Breast Cancer 1. Life expectancy for certain breast cancers has nearly tripled.Thanks to revolutionary new treatments, almost half of patients with stage IV breast cancer live more than five years after diagnosis. 2. Doctors analyze your tumor to find the best treatment.Your tumor reveals details about how your cancer grows, which helps doctors determine the best treatment for you. 3. It’s not necessarily all in the family.While family history is a risk factor, only 15% of breast cancer patients have relatives who’ve also had it. 4. Breast cancer survivors are the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S.There are almost 3 million breast cancer survivors in the country, and that number is growing. 5. Finding the right specialist can mean a world of difference.Turn to Healthgrades.com to connect with the best oncologist for your breast cancer. Share this video to help educate others about breast cancer!

All About Telehealth for Breast Cancer Telehealth allows doctors to care for people virtually over a phone call, text message, or most commonly, video chat. Although some situations require an in-person visit, telehealth is a great option when you can't get to the doctor's office for your breast cancer. If you're new to telehealth, here's what you need to know. Medicare will cover telehealth visits just like in-person visits, but state Medicaid programs and private insurers vary, so confirm your coverage in advance. With telehealth, even though you're not in the doctor's office, your private health information is still covered by HIPAA, so it will remain confidential and secure. Although your oncologist can't give you a physical exam via telehealth, they can write you prescriptions and offer quality care, especially if you prepare in advance. Before your telehealth appointment:- List any breast cancer symptoms, including dates and severity- Note any side effects from your breast cancer medications or therapies, like nausea, pain, bleeding, or swelling- Record your vital signs if you own a thermometer, blood pressure monitor, or another device- Compile a list of your health conditions and medications- Write down questions you have for your oncologist about any test results- Charge your computer or phone- Make sure your internet is reliable- Download any telehealth apps your specific provider may require- Find a quiet, private space to conduct the call- Be prepared with pen and paper or a note-taking app Turn to Healthgrades to connect with the right oncologist to treat breast cancer via telehealth. And share this video to spread the word!

Hi. I'm Mai, and this is my breast cancer confession. Breast cancer impacted me most because for the first time in my life, I had to make a decision on whether I wanted kids or not, in an instant of finding out that I had cancer. And from there, I had to rush to the fertility clinics and start making decisions about saving my eggs. I did not even think about kids up until that point. What scares me the most when thinking about my future is that there is still a possibility that I might relapse, and I might get breast cancer again. The silver lining to my breast cancer experience is that we found out when I was only in stage two. So, I thank God so much for a second chance at life. Since all my treatment, I've learned to savor and treasure every day, and I'm so grateful just to be alive.